F1 2017 United States GP Practice – Sauber F1 Team

Both practice sessions ahead of the United States Grand Prix went according to programme. In his second FP1 session for the Sauber F1 Team, Charles Leclerc had his first experience of driving on the Circuit of the Americas. In the afternoon, Pascal Wehrlein took over the Sauber C36-Ferrari. Together with Marcus Ericsson, he concentrated on the usual race preparations for the rest of the weekend.

Charles Leclerc (car number 37):
Sauber C36-Ferrari (Chassi 04/Ferrari)
1st practice: 19th / 1:40.828 min (25 laps)
“I am very satisfied with my second FP1 session for the Sauber F1 Team. Following the wet session in Malaysia I had damp conditions at the beginning of FP1 again here in Austin. Towards the end of the session the track dried up. It was my first time in the car in these conditions. I like the track a lot; it is a lot of fun to drive. Overall, I am pleased that we got through our programme, which is the most important thing.”

Marcus Ericsson (car number 9):
Sauber C36-Ferrari (Chassis 03/Ferrari)
1st practice: 18th / 1:40.448 min (19 laps) / 2nd practice: 19th / 1:38.262 min (22 laps)
“It is always great to drive on this circuit; I really enjoy it. In FP1 we worked through our programme focusing on mechanical and aerodynamic tests. In the afternoon, I lost some time towards the end of FP2 due to a car issue. We are now looking into our data and working on making improvements for tomorrow’s qualifying.”

Pascal Wehrlein (car number 94):
Sauber C36-Ferrari (Chassis 04/Ferrari)
2nd practice: 18th / 1:38.165 min (35 laps)
“I am quite satisfied with the practice session considering that I did not drive in the morning. In FP2, my objective was to complete as many laps as possible. The car felt ok in terms of the balance. Regarding the lap times, the gap to our direct competitors was not too big either. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.”